Learn to Burn
For a higher education, check out our Top Five Canna-campuses
By Kevin Longrie of Culture Magazine
College campuses have historically been hotbeds of the politically-minded. Ensconced in the dorm rooms and lecture halls of today is the social change of tomorrow. People fight for individual and collective liberties; they radically alter their consumption habits; they go green (in more ways than one). College–that brief collection of moments between parental supervision and adult responsibility–is a time when a great deal of Americans try cannabis. Much of the legalization rhetoric associated with medical cannabis (or otherwise) comes from college students. Some campuses are more facilitating than others. Here are the America’s Greenest Campuses:
University of California, Berkeley
Despite being among the top-ranked universities in the world, Berkeley brings a scowl to the face of most conservative dads who don’t want you to go there and “get brainwashed by those liberal commie professors.” Along with its reputation for liberal protest, it’s got one for cannabis use and supportiveness. Even Cal students who don’t smoke generally support legalization. And the town itself seems to be lax on enforcement. One person writing on to WeBeHigh.com said, “Let’s put it this way, there’s a park across the police station. I have smoked there too many times to remember.”
University of Colorado, Boulder
“You get higher at higher elevations,” said a student of the University of Colorado in the Colorado Daily. This is a medically questionable statement, but the sentiment seems to be held by thousands of U of CO students. Each year, they gather on April 20 for a big 420 smoke out in the center of campus. Sure, some tickets are handed out; and sure, this is not the only day these undergrads partake; but the smoke out has always been about solidarity, legalization and, well, cannabis. Colorado is one of the more progressive states out there as far as legalization goes, and sources in the Denver and Boulder communities say that their meds are top notch.
Humboldt State University
Up in the heavily-forested region of NorCal lies a college whose reputation for marijuana outweighs even its academic standing. Humboldt County is home to hundreds if not thousands of growers. According to CannabisNews.org, this is in part due to Humboldt’s climate, which facilitates growth of several strains of cannabis. The students of the college and the members of the community rank among the highest percentage of Americans who either participate in the growing, selling, consuming or activism supporting marijuana. As the old saying goes, people go to Humboldt for the trees.
University of Oregon, Eugene
This school makes the list for both the Princeton Review’s Top Marijuana Friendly Campuses and High Times’ Top 10. Just a few hours north of Humboldt, the climate still enables great growth and use; and it rains enough that you might as well stay inside and enjoy yourself. Oregon has always been a blue state, and in the last half-century it’s also become green as well.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
In 2006, UWM was the thirteenth highest ranking campus when it came to cannabis use, and it’s climbed since then. Thousands of students every year light up, and those same students are also quite politically active. There have been frequent protests in the state’s capitol trying to pass medical marijuana legislation and widespread legalization. The community also practices lenient enforcement so most students enjoy recreational usage undisturbed.
Higher Learning
In yet another sign of colleges being sanctuaries for sensimilla, state colleges and universities in Connecticut are considering easing their marijuana regulations so that possession of small amounts may end up as serious as a parking ticket. “This is an excellent law,” U Conn student government president Sam Tracy told the New York Post last month regarding the proposed decrim.
From Culture Magazine
